Golf club including stance diagram

ABSTRACT

A golf club assembly arranged to provide self-guiding indications to a user in the correct use of the club. The indicating means is provided on the distal end of the hand grip portion of the club and provides a display of a preselected correct relationship between a plurality of parameters determining such correct usage. The indicating means may be adhesively attached to the hand grip end.

United States Patent Champion Aug. 15, 1972 1541 GOLF CLUB INCLUDING STANCE DIAGRAM [72] Inventor: Robert S. Champion, 385 W. On-

wentsia, Lake Forest, 111. 60045 [22] Filed: June 3, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 42,917

[52] US. Cl. ..273/l83 D, 273/187 A, 40/317 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63b 69/36 [58] Field of Search ..273/l83, 162, 163, 164, 193,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,167,106 1/1916 Palmer ..273/81R 1,208,995 12/1916 Lyon ..273/187 R Lefleur ..273/162 R Goranson et al...273/187 A X Primary ExaminerGeorge J. Marlo Attorney-Hofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman & Mc- Cord [5 7] ABSTRACT A golf club assembly arranged to provide self-guiding indications to a user in the correct use of the club. The indicating means is provided on the distal end of the hand grip portion of the club and provides a display of a preselected correct relationship between a plurality of parameters determining such correct usage. The indicating means may be adhesively attached to the hand grip end.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEU I 3.684.294

L?) V wall/ 0161,

GOLF CLUB INCLUDING STANCE DIAGRAM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to golf clubs and in particular to a golf club assembly.

2. Description of the Prior Art A number of means have been developed to assist a golfer in the correct usage of golf clubs. Illustratively, numerous books have been published with charts indicating the proper stance, club position, etc., for each of the different clubs of the conventional golf club set. Mechanical devices, such as levels, modified hand grips, etc., have been employed to assist the golfer in the use of the clubs. Such books and devices have not proven fully satisfactory.

Alternatively, the use of professional teachers is common. The use of such professionals is relatively expensive and is conventionally limited to lessons other than in actual play so that the instructions are not ordinarily available to the golfer under competitive conditions. Resultingly, the golfer may forget certain instructions, or may not employ the instructions properly without being readily able to ascertain the failure at such times.

I SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprehends an improved golf club assembly arranged to provide a self-guiding indication to the golfer in the correct use of each of the different conventional golf clubs.

More specifically, the invention comprehends the provision of an element adapted to be mounted on the distal end of the hand grip portion of the golf club carrying thereon an indicating means for indicating to the golfer the correct disposition and relationship of the centerline of the club shaft to the position of the golf ball, the users feet, and the club head, and the intended direction of flight of the ball. A suitable indicating means is provided for each of the different clubs with each of the parameters discussed above suitably coordinated with the particular club.

The indicating means may be installed on the end of the club as by adhesive means permitting the indicating means to be utilized with existing golf clubs by suitable affixation thereto.

Thus, the present invention provides means available to the golfer at all times in the use of a given golf club and clearly indicating the correct use of the club. By virtue of the provision of the indicating means in the golf club assembly substantially along the line of sight of the golfer toward the ball, the self-guiding indication is substantially automatically associated with the actual club position and the other parameters discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a golfer utilizing a golf club assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view looking downwardly on the golf club assembly taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG.

FIGS. 3-6 are illustrative plan views of indicating means such as used with four different clubs of a conventional golf club set illustrating variations in the indications displayed thereby as coordinated with the respective golf clubs; and

FIG. 7 is a diametric section taken substantially along lines 7-7 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawing, a golf club assembly generally designated 10 is shown to comprise a golf club 11 having a shaft 12 defining an axial centerline 13. A conventional hand grip 14 is provided at one end of the shaft and a conventional club head 15 is provided at the other end of the shaft. Club 11 may comprise any conventional club including both iron and wood clubs.

Hand grip 14 defines a distal end 16. An indicating means generally designated 17 is provided on the hand grip end 16, as shown in FIG. 2, to define means in the assembly 10 for displaying a preselected correct relationship between the centerline 13 of the shaft, the position of the golf ball 18, the users feet 19 and 20, and the club head 15, and the intended direction of the flight of ball 18 (as shown by the arrow 21 in FIG. 1). In the illustrated embodiment, the indicating means comprises a disc including a slightly concave metal portion 22 and adhesive backing 23 for adhesively affixing the disc to distal end 16 of hand grip 14.

Indicating disc 17 includes a plurality of indicia for displaying the indicated relationships. Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 3, one such indicating disc 17a is adapted for use with the driver of the golf club set. Thus, indicating disc 17a includes indicium 24 comprising the letter D for indicating the use thereof with the driver. An indicium 25 displays the position of the golf ball 18, an indicium 26 defines a line extending parallel to the intended direction of flight of the ball, and an indicium 27 defines a line perpendicular to line 26 through the center of the ball. An indicium 28 displays the desired position of golf club 11, and in particular the angular relationship thereof to the perpendicular 27. In indicium 29 illustrates the correct position of the users left foot, and an indicium 30 illustrates the correct position of the users right foot relative to the other indicia. More specifically, the foot position indicia 29 and 30 indicate the correct spacing of the user's feet at opposite sides of the perpendicular 27 and the relationship thereof to the baseline 26.

As seen in FIG. 3 in connection with the driver, the correct position of axis 13 of the golf club 11 is at a small acute angle to the perpendicular 27. The correct position of the users feet as indicated is substantially touching the base line 26 with the right foot being spaced substantially rearwardly of the perpendicular 27 and the left foot being closely juxtaposed thereto.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the indicia of an indicating means 17b, illustratively for a No. 4 wood, are modified somewhat from the indicia of indicating disc 17a. Thus, indicium 24b comprises the letters 4W. The angle of indicium 28b to the perpendicular 27b is smaller than that of the angle of indicia 28 and 27 of indicating means 17a. The indicium 29b indicates a slightly outtumed position of the users left foot relative to the indication of the indicium 29 of indicating means 17a.

Similarly, in FIG. 5, the indicating means 170 for a No. 2 iron includes an indicium 24c comprising the numeral 2. The indicium 28c showing the club position crosses the perpendicular 27c so that the correct position of the No. 2 iron hand grip is shown as forward of the perpendicular 270. The correct golfers stance is shown to be narrowed by the disposition of indicium 300 more closely adjacent perpendicular 270 while the left foot indicium 29c is moved slightly forwardly therefrom as compared to the foot positions of indicating means 17a and 17b.

Further illustratively in FIG. 6, an indicating means 17d for use with a No. 9 iron includes a numeral 9 indicium 24d. The golf club indicium 28d is shown as crossing the perpendicular 27d while the ball indicium 25d and club head indicium 28d are moved closer to the base line indicium 26d to illustrate a more vertical disposition of the club head as compared to the other indicating means golf club positions. The left foot indicium 29d indicates a disposition of the left foot back from the base line 26d to show a more open stance as the correct relationship for use with the No. 9 iron.

As will be obvious to those skilled in the art, each of the different clubs of the conventional golf club set may have suitable indicating means wherein the different indicia are suitably positioned and related to the other indicia to show the correct relationship for the particular club, the use of indicating means l7a-d for four respective clubs being deemed sufficient to permit those skilled in the art to provide correct indicia for each of the individual clubs as desired.

As shown in FIG. I, the golfer may use the golf club assemblies in the conventional manner in playing ball 18. As seen in FIG. 2, when the user looks down along the club toward ball 18, the indicating means 17 is disposed adjacent the line of sight of the golfer to club head and is coordinated with the position of the shaft axis 13 to give an accurate display of the correct relationship between the various parameters discussed above. This display is available to the golfer at all times during the addressing of the ball while yet being sufficiently displaced from the line of sight to the club head so that it does not interfere with a normal use of the club without reference to the indicating means whenever the user wishes to so use the club. By being instantly available to the user, however, he may correct his position substantially automatically by coordinating his position with that displayed by the indicating means.

The indicating means may comprise stamped metal discs with the indicating means being provided thereon in the form of imprinting. Thus, the indicating means is extremely simple and economical of construction while yet providing in the golf club assembly a highly improved functioning whereby the golfer is provided with a self-guiding indication of the correct use of the club.

The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of the broad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.

lclaim:

I. A golf club assembly arranged to provide a selfguiding indication to a user in the correct use of the golf club in hitting a golf ball, said assembly comprising: a golf club having a shaft defining an axial centerline, a hand grip at one end of the shaft defining a transverse distal end surface and a head at the apposite end of the shaft; and indicating means on sat distal end surface extending substantially transversely to said axial centerline and including indicia defining images of a golf ball, the axial centerline of the shaft of a particular golf club, and the feet of a golfer assuming a golfers stance, said images being so arranged relative each other as to display the correct relationship therebetween when a golfer is addressing a golf ball with said particular club, said particular club being said golf club of said assembly on whose handle end said correct relationship is displayed, and said displayed correct relationship being oriented angularly relative the axial centerline of the golf club shaft of said assembly so as to generally coincide with the angular orientation of the relationship that exists between a golfer, a golf ball and a golf club when the golfer is correctly addressing said ball with the golf club of said assembly, whereby the display on said end of said handle may be accurately viewed by a golfer at all times during the addressing of a golf ball while yet being sufficiently displaced from the golfers line of sight to the club head so as not to interfere with normal use of the club.

2. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means comprises an element secured to said club shaft distal end.

3. The golf club assembly of claim 2 wherein adhesive means are provided for securing said element adhesively to said club shaft distal end.

4. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means includes a display of a base line extending parallel to the intended line of flight of the ball, said line being spaced from said indicia of the golf ball outwardly for indicating the correct spacing of the users feet from the ball.

5. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means indicia includes a line extending perpendicularly to the intended flight of the ball and juxtaposed to said indicia corresponding to the axial centerline of the shaft to define means for displaying the correct angular relationship between the axis of the club shaft at the impact position and the intended direction of flight of the ball.

6. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means includes means displaying a rectilinear line extending perpendicular to the intended line of flight of the ball and extending through the center of the indicia corresponding to the golf ball.

7. The golf club assembly of claim 6 including indicia means corresponding to the hand grip of the golf club and for displaying the correct spacing of said hand grip from said perpendicular line.

8. The golf club assembly of claim 6 wherein said indicating means includes means displaying the correct spacing of the users feet to opposite sides of said perpendicular.

9. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means further includes indicia means displaying the number of the club. 

1. A golf club assembly arranged to provide a self-guiding indication to a user in the correct use of the golf club in hitting a golf ball, said assembly comprising: a golf club having a shaft defining an axial centerline, a hand grip at one end of the shaft defining a transverse distal end surface and a head at the opposite end of the shaft; and indicating means on said distal end surface extending substantially transversely to said axial centerline and including indicia defining images of a golf ball, the axial centerline of the shaft of a particular golf club, and the feet of a golfer assuming a golfer''s stance, said images being so arranged relative each other as to display the correct relationship therebetween when a golfer is addressing a golf ball with said particular club, said particular club being said golf club of said assembly on whose handle end said correct relationship is displayed, and said displayed correct relationship being oriented angularly relative the axial centerline of the golf club shaft of said assembly so as to generally coincide with the angular orientation of the relationship that exists between a golfer, a golf ball and a golf club when the golfer is correctly addressing said ball with the golf club of said assembly, whereby the display on said end of said handle may be accurately viewed by a golfer at all times during the addressing of a golf ball while yet being sufficiently displaced from the golfer''s line of sight to the club head so as not to interfere with normal use of the club.
 2. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means comprises an element secured to said club shaft distal end.
 3. The golf club assembly of claim 2 wherein adhesive means are provided for securing said element adhesively to said club shaft distal end.
 4. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means includes a display of a base line extending parallel to the intended line of flight of the ball, said line being spaced from said indicia of the golf ball outwardly for indicating the correct spacing of the user''s feet from the ball.
 5. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means indicia includes a line extending perpendicularly to the intended flight of the ball and juxtaposed to said indicia corresponding to the axial centerline of the shaft to define means for displaying the correct angular relationship between the axis of the club shaft at the impact position and the intended direction of flight of the ball.
 6. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means includes means displaying a rectilinear line extending perpendicular to the intended line of flight of the ball and extending through the center of the indicia corresponding to the golf ball.
 7. The golf club assembly of claim 6 including indicia means corresponding to the hand grip of the golf club and for displaying the correct spacing of said hand grip from said perpendicular line.
 8. The golf club assembly of claim 6 wherein said indicating means includes means displaying the correct spacing of the user''s feet to opposite sides of said perpendicular.
 9. The golf club assembly of claim 1 wherein said indicating means further includes indicia means displaying the number of the club. 